It’s seemingly endless back and forth: Originally, the new WhatsApp Terms of Use were supposed to come into force in February. These would allow WhatsApp’s parent company Facebook to access certain WhatsApp data and link it to Facebook data: This includes, for example, profile picture, telephone number and contact details.
Back and forth for WhatsApp users
It should be a routine update for WhatsApp – but the resistance was fierce. After protests by privacy advocates, the changes were postponed – initially to May 15. Since then, users who have not yet accepted the new terms of use have been repeatedly asked to accept them. If you continue to refuse this permanently, you should lose certain WhatsApp functions after a while – so the plan.
Now WhatsApp wants to change its plan here too. In a statement, WhatsApp announced that there are “currently no plans” to restrict WhatsApp functions for users who have not accepted the update. Instead, you want to continue to remind regularly about the possibility of updates.
What’s next with WhatsApp?
WhatsApp’s change of strategy is probably also a reaction to the wave of resistance that followed the announcement of the new terms of use. Most recently, even the Hamburg data protection officer the transfer of data between WhatsApp and Facebook is prohibited. Facebook wants to take legal action against the order.
For users who want to prevent the transfer of data to Facebook, in addition to switching to another messenger, there is still the option of simply rejecting the new terms of use again and again. No consequences are currently expected.
Facebook’s hope now is that many users will simply wear down over time and just accept the update at some point.
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